Dark Birth, Shining Death
by InnocentDiamond
Summary: When the Oni revive from years of extinction, Shun and the others must use their magic to fight against the Oni and the ones who revived them. But how does Alice, a simple girl who doesn't know any magic, have the power to change the outcome of all this?
1. Revival Attack

It was a calm, peaceful night. Families were getting ready to eat dinner, and the crickets have begun making their music again. A man was walking home from work, minding his own business. "What a beautiful night." he said. As he walked down the path, he heard a noise. "Huh? Who's there?" He looked around everywhere, but nothing was in sight. Suddenly...

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"Oh my god, this is horrible!"

"Who would do such a thing?"

"How could a human be so cruel?"

Shun Kazami was doing his daily patrolling in the market to make sure everything was peaceful. He happened to see the a crowd of elder talking in front of a bulletin board. "Good morning, everyone. What happened here?"

"Some hunters found a man in the woods while hunting. This guy was...oh, it's too cruel." An old lady started crying immediately.

"They also found a strange horn by the man." An old man replied. "The hunters said that there was no blood on the horn, but I think it's the weapon that killed this poor guy."Seeing that there were a lot of the same poster put up everywhere, Shun ripped one down and went back to the outer palace.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"Not going to work, Chan! Try this! **Mahou, Fire, Spiral Sparks!"**

"Sorry, Dan! **Mahou, Fire, Flare Phoenix!"**

"Chan, Dan, what the heck are you two doing?" Nobody noticed that Shun was already back from patrolling and back inside the palace. "This is a No Training zone, remember? A servant got hurt here because situations like this."

"Sorry, Shun, but it gets boring here when you're out. Chan isn't as good as you, though." Dan landed from the air and went over to Shun. "So, what do you have today? Breakfast?"

"Dan, I can't believe you began training without eating." Shun moved away. "Either that, or you're really hungry. Good morning, Chan."

"Good morning, Shun. How come you're back so early?"

"Because of this." Shun took out the poster that he ripped down from the wall and opened it. "This is pure cruelty."

"Shun, back this fast?" Runo walked down the stairs of the second gate over to them. "Oh my, what a terrible death! I hope his family knows about this. By the way, Alice wanted to talk to you. She's at the water lily bridge."

"I was reading the part about the horn," Shun started, "and it seems like that a human wasn't capable to doing this. Something immortal, maybe? You take the poster. I'll be right back."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Dan gave a closer look at the poster. "I think we should consult with my mother. Maybe she knows something." Miyoko Kuso was the highest and the only female priest in all of Ryuuouriku. Everyone went in the gate of the palace to find her.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"Miyoko-sama, you seem to be lacking stamina today." Nene asked. As Miyoko's only apprentice, Nene cared for her master dearly, for Miyoko was the one who taught Nene all her magic.

"You're right." Miyoko sighed. "There's been an awful lot of negative energy in Ryuuouriku for some reason, but it's not like what I've seen in the past. Something's different and not right about this." She was about to play another tune on her koto when Dan, Chan, and Runo ran in.

"Mom, you have to read this!" Dan took out the poster, spread it down on the table, and showed it to his mother, who read it over and over again. "Shun found this on the walls of buildings while he was out for patrolling."

"My goodness!" Miyoko yelled. "That explains the negative energy that I keep feeling. Wait, we can't be sure if that's what killed this man. If so, then all of you are going to be busy again." Miyoko put her koto away and stood up. "I'm going to tell the king about this. You kids should be careful."

"Where's Shun? I heard his voice earlier." Nene asked.

"Alice had something to talk to him about, so Shun left." Runo replied. "Why don't we all practice our magic for now? I call first round of practice!" Everyone followed Runo down to the _official _training fields.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"Runo said you had something tell me. How are you feeling?" Shun saw Alice, who was looking a lot better than before. "You're looking a lot better than yesterday."

"Thanks! The doctor said that my condition is always changing, but he still doesn't know why." Alice replied. "Right now, I'm mostly healthy, but sometimes, random things happen. There no way to control that, so the best I can do is to get used to them. "

"That's a good thing, Alice. I hope you fully heal soon, an the symptoms are a only small matter. What's more important is maintaining your stamina. Did he say anything else-" Before Shun could finish talking, Dan and the others came over and bumped into Shun and Alice by accident.

"Shun! You want to come to training with us?" Dan asked. "We have still have some time left before lunch starts." The people behind him groaned, and Alice could help but giggle slightly.

"Later, Dan. Alice and I still have some things to talk about." Shun saw somebody run in behind Dan and the others. "Hey, isn't that Fabia? She's supposed to be patrolling in my place."

"There you are! I have bad news." Fabia came running in, panting immediately as she stopped. "Baron's holding off a group of enemies in the bamboo groves, and we really need your help."

"You serious! We have to help him!" As Dan left the halls, the people behind him groaned once again. "Hey! We should get moving!"

"Fine." they said in unison.

"I'll be right back, Alice." Shun told her. "It best that you stay in the palace." Alice nodded, and all four of them followed Fabia to the scene of the battle.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"I can't stand this any longer!" Baron exclaimed. "I'm tired of playing hide and seek. Do you guys not fight like men? Just get out here and show yourselves! **Mahou, Light, Starlight Shuriken!" **Shining ninja stars flew everywhere, revealing the true identity of the invisible attackers. "No way!"

"Baron! We're here!" Fabia called out into the smear of darkness and light. "It can't be. You were attacked by a group of Oni? I thought they were extinct. **Mahou, Light, Crescent Flyer!" **Fabia launched a beam of shining light from her naginata.

"Time for real action!" Dan took his whip out. **"Mahou, Fire, Spiral Sparks!"**

Runo and Nene rescued Baron and a nearby man from one of the Oni. "This attack is just going to last forever." Runo told the man. "Here. Take this amulet and go back to where you're supposed to be right now." The man ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

"It doesn't make sense." Shun discovered. "Why would the Oni attack during the day? Aren't they associated with darkness?" Suddenly, an Oni sneaked up behind him, but Shun dodged it. **"Mahou, Wind, Emerald Gale!" **Wind attacks worked the best as defense. Suddenly, a shadow appeared in the middle of nowhere and nullified all of the attacks.

"How lame..." The shadow revealed to be a young woman in gray robes and short blond hair with a veil on her face. "One of my attacks can overpower four of yours. Don't you dare mess with us when it comes to revival!" She transported right next to Shun. "Right, Kazami-kun?" She smirked and disappeared into nowhere.

"Shun, are you alright? Did that witch or whatever do anything to you?" Chan ran over with the others.

"I'm fine." Shun brushed of some dirt off his clothes. "But how did she know that my last name is Kazami? Who is she anyway?"

"We should go find Miyoko-sama right now!" Baron insisted. Everyone headed back into the palace to report to Miyoko.


	2. Descending to the Mortal World

Miyoko was still having a conversation about negative energy and how it related to the man's death with the king in the throne room when Dan and the other barged in. "Mother, we-" Dan remembered that the king was still here. "Please excuse us for barging in, Your Majesty." Dan bowed in apology. "But we have important news to report."

"What important news? Does it have to do with what the priestess said?" The king was was already outraged enough from hearing what Miyoko said.

"Let me explain." Shun took over. "We while Fabia and Baron were coming back, they were attacked by 'invisible enemies,' who turned out to be some Oni." The entire court gasped. "Then woman arrived, claiming that we were interrupting the 'revival,' which I assume is the Oni's comeback." Sometimes, being too detailed in your explanations isn't a good thing.

"Shun, you can't be serious. If they were to come back, then how come they're attacking during the day?" Miyoko was confused, just like the others.

"Okay, seeing that there are Oni to be seen now it looks like that all of you will be busy again. The fate of Ryuuouriku lies in your hands." The king ordered. Shun and the others left the court after replying to the king.

"It's about noon." Runo pointed out. "Would you like me to make lunch now?"

"Sure, I'm starving!" Dan always answered first. "This time, let's see if I can try making something." He rolled his sleeves up while everyone sighed. Shun, however, went down the bridge past the water lily bridge.

"Shun, where are you going?" Fabia asked. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Just save some food for me. I'll be right back!" Shun yelled back.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"Really? They were attacked by Oni?" Alice didn't to believe what Shun said, but it was the truth. "That is shocking."

"And get this." Shun continued. "Later, this woman in white robes and a veil came down, saying that we were messing up the 'revival.' Then she came down next to me and asked, 'Right, Kazami-kun?' How did she know my last name?"

"Can you tell what kind of magic does she use?"

"Nah. If she's related to the Oni somehow, it's pretty obvious that she doesn't use regular magic. She's too evil for that."

"Evil?" Alice thought for a minute and reached for one of her books. "I found this in the royal library. It talks about all sorts of monsters. May be it has a section or two on magic."

"Royal library?" Shun looked up at her. "I thought you couldn't take it out from the room without permission." Shun looked through the book if there was anything about Oni.

"Actually, the high priestess got it for me. Seeing that I was the only one here that doesn't know magic, she thought that at least I should be prepared somehow with self-defense by reading this."

" 'The bite of an Oni is very contagious.' " Shun read out loud. " 'When bitten, anything can turn into an Oni within minutes.' That's important. By the way, you want to come over to have lunch with us just stay here."

"I think I'll stay. Bye Shun!" Alice waved as Shun left her room.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"Dan, is it necessary for you to come with me to do patrolling?" Shun asked Dan, who had his hand over his head, just kept looking up at the sky. "Let me guess, you had an argument with Runo? I told you to stay away from the kitchen."

"Hey, it's not my fault that I made something that tastes horrible." Dan yelled. "Runo should've taught me the right thing to do instead of yelling at me."

"And if you're going to yell any longer, I'll have the king penalize you for disrupting my duties." Later, the guys saw a girl kneeling on the grass, holding her hand in pain. "Who's that? I didn't think that there would be people here?"

"Maybe it's the woman from yesterday." Dan shrieked. "Stay away from her!" Shun, however, ignored Dan and went over to the girl anyway.

"Hi there. What's wrong with your hand?" Shun noticed the bit marks on her right hand.

"Ah! It's an Oni bite! Kill her before she turns into one!" Dan was acting crazily, which made Shun feel really uneasy. "What are you still standing there for?!"

"Dan, shush. It's too small to be an Oni bite." Shun ignored Dan and moved on. He took a closer look at the bite marks and confirmed that they weren't caused by an Oni. "You were probably just bitten by an animal here. Even so, the germs in their mouths can infect your hand and arm."

"You're right." the girl spoke. "I was bitten by a fox earlier. I don't suppose you have medicine for this, do you? You said that animal bites _do _cause infection."

"Let me take a look." Shun put his bag down and looked for medicine. "Here it is. This medicine is for general animal bites but not specially for foxes, so you need to seek real real medical care. Dan, can you get the bandaging cloth?" Shun sprinkled some of the medicine onto the girl's wrist while Dan bandaged it up. "All better."

"Thank you so much!" she thanked as she tried to turn her hand. "I can move it again. I'll always remember your kindness." She bowed and left.

"Well, it wasn't that bad." Dan commented. "At least it wasn't-" Suddenly, a wind blew past him, and he saw an Oni about to attack him. "Shun, watch out!" Both Shun and Dan dodged it and were okay. "Bad karma for both of us. What did we ever do-"

"Forget it, Dan. Retaliate!" Shun jumped to nearby branch and took his fan out. **"Mahou, Wind, Emerald Gale!" **That didn't knock the Oni out completely, but at least it stalled some time for Shun and Dan to escape. "Dan! Stop lingering down there. We need to move!"

"You know, running away isn't going to help you." Shun looked back to see the gray-robed woman again. "At least, not for Kazami-kun. **Youjutsu, ****Darkness****, Seductive Night!" **The sunlight became engulfed in darkness, and Shun got hit by one of the energy beams. Meanwhile, the girl that Shun helped was back.

"Chris, end your dark tactics now!" Dan and Shun were surprised to hear that the girl knew who the woman who attacked them was. "I'll hold her and the Oni off while you two attack." She took a flute out and played a relaxing tune.

**"Mahou, Fire, Spiral Sparks!"** With a hit of Dan's whip, the Oni was destroyed and disappeared. Some Oni that followed were also exterminated in time.

"Chris...I'll remember that name. **Mahou, Wind, Emerald Gale!" **Shun swept his fan for a second time, and Chris, who was weak and drained of energy from the tune of the flute, was instantly blew away. Shun and Dan descended to the ground as the girl ran over.

"Are you okay? That was a classified Tsuchinoto Oni." she explained. "You could've easily defeated it, but with Chris suddenly appearing, I don't blame you." She put her flute away and brushed some dirt off. "Looks like she's really serious about this."

"Wait, you mean that this Chris, the woman that attacked us, is related to the Oni revival?" Dan was the only one that didn't get it, but the truth was the same either way. "But I still don't get how she knew who Shun is, despite calling him by last name."

"That, I don't know anything about. She probably has her sources to find out about you people. By the way, you're magic users, right?" Shun and Dan nodded. "Thank god. It's a good this that magic isn't extinct."

"I guess you could say." Shun replied. "By the way, who are you? How did you know that the Oni was classified as Tsuchinoto?" The girl seemed reluctant, but she said something resourceful.

"Hold on. I'm only going to tell you that I'm not one of them who want to revive the Oni. I'll you what my name is _after _you take me to see Miyoko-sama." Shun and Dan were surprised that the girl knew they had access to see Miyoko, but they accepted her request, seeing that it was crucial to stopping the Oni revival.

"How about this?" Shun offered. "If we take you to see the high priestess, you have to explain to us everything you know, from yourself to the Oni classifications. Deal?"

"Deal."


	3. Hurting the Helpless

Shun and Dan took the girl in and showed her around outer palace. When they reached Koto-ya, where Miyoko was playing her koto, the first person she greeting was the girl. "Sengaku! Long time no see!" Miyoko stood up and welcomed the girl. "What are you doing here anyway? By the way, everyone, this is Sengaku Tendou. We're close colleagues, and I'm sure she can help us with this huge predicament." Sengaku gave everyone a bow while everyone introduced themselves.

"Okay, _Sengaku_, now that you've seen my mother, can you please explain why you're here? You get bitten by a fox and then save us from that Chris. What's your motive?" Dan was going to ask more questions, but his mother stopped him. Runo and the others gathered around as well to hear the story.

"I'm actually one of the messengers sent from the heavens to aid you in stopping the Oni revival." Everyone was surprised to hear that, but they were glad to have help on their side. "As a messenger, I have a lot of abilities, but my cost for descending to the mortal world was to limit my powers. You've seen how I was able to play my flute and make that Tsuchinoto Oni and Chris not be able to fight. I can do more than that if I had all of my powers.

"Wait, who's Chris? And what's a Tsuchinoto Oni?" Chan asked.

"Chris was the woman that attacked you guys, according to what Dan and Shun told me." Sengaku explained. "And Tsuchinoto is a classification of Oni, along with other titles."

"Another thing. I clearly remember seeing that Chris used a different type of magic than us. What was it?" Shun asked.

"You guys are all magic users, right?" Everyone nodded at Sengaku. "Chris used black magic, which makes her a youkai. Black magic is feared by a lot of people, as it is associated with witchcraft ans sorcery. I've met some very hardworking but obsessive and compulsive exocists dedicate their _entire _lives to get rid of black magic. You guys are lucky to be able to use even regular magic."

"And how about your flute?" Dan asked. "What magic is that? It's clearly not the same as ours because it was way to powerful"

"My flute?" Sengaku took her flute out. "There's no magic in here. It's all about my voice. You have to get the tune right. Music a beautiful thing that relieves the soul of all troubles. It's quite soothing."

"How are the Oni classified again?" Fabia asked.

"Using the jikkan system." Sengaku replied. "Here's the order: Kinoe, Kinoto, Hinoe, Hinoto, Tsuchinoe, Tsuchinoto, Kanoe, Kanoto, Mizunoe, and Mizunoto. Kinoe is the strongest, and Mizunoto is the weakest. Tsuchinoto would be the sixth one." On a piece of paper, Sengaku wrote the kanji of each title down.

"Oh my. Two attacks in one day. I'm surprised that we're all still standing here." Miyoko worried. "You all had better rest to replenish your energy. I say we call it a day. Nene, please go set up a room for Sengaku."

"Yes, Miyoko-sama." Nene took Sengaku's bag and said, "This way plesse."

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"This is pure madness!"

"They're absolutely crazy!"

"Who would actually do that?"

"There goes more victims of the Oni attacks and more people becoming helpless." Shun sighed. "Our world is deteriorating as we speak. This is how we live around here. You're not the type that makes a lot of requests, do you?"

"Oh no, I'm fine." Sengaku replied. "I live a simple life, just like what the high priestess taught me. But being a messenger isn't that simple of a job."

"How do you know Miyoko-sama anyway? She never told us anything about you or any relations to the heavens."

"There's a lot about herself that she didn't tell you about. Mainly because her number one important thing is keeping the worlds balanced. That's been on her mind before we ever met."

"Worlds? What do you mean? Isn't there just Earth and-"

"The upper world, the mortal world, and the underworld. That's all."

"So you're from the upper world while the Oni and that Chris are a part of the underworld? Interesting." Suddenly, a rampage was heard down the street, and Shun and Sengaku went to check it out.

"Help! Save me before it tries to-" A man was yelling for help, but he was bitten by an Oni. Soon, the man was now an Oni, too. Other people screamed for their lives, in which half of them weren't so lucky in finding a way out.

"Here's a tip. Only Tsuchinoe Oni and above can bite living hings and turn them into Oni." Sengaku commented. She took out a small firework and lit it. "Miyoko-sama should recognize this signal. Now for my flute." Sengaku played her flute while Shun fought with the Oni.

From inside the palace wall, Nene was sweeping the walkways when she caught a glimpse of something sparking in the sky. "Miyoko-sama, there's a firework in the sky in the afternoon." Miyoko looked up from her koto to see the sky, and shock immediately covered her face.

"Nene, tell everyone to be ready to attack the Oni lurking around where the firework is." Miyoko ordered. Nene nodded and called the other to get ready. _Sengaku wouldn__'__t light up a firework unless it__'__s a small matter. Things are getting more and more complicated now._

Back in the markets, Shun grew tired from all the fighting and used the rest of his energy for one last attack **"Mahou, Wind, Emerald Gale!"** Luckily, Nene and the others arrived in time to save Shun. "Thank goodness you're here. The Oni here are stronger than the ones we've previously encountered."

"How dare they! The Oni are attacking helpless citizens in the markets." Nene was angry. **"Mahou, Wind, Tsubasa Aviary!"** She shot an arrow, which immediately turn into a cage that blocked out the Oni. "Fabia!"

"Got it!** Mahou, Light, Crescent Flyer!" **A glowing crescent swiped in and out at the Oni. "Hey! Some of the Oni got loose and escaped!" Dan, Runo, Chan, and Baron chased after the runaway Oni.

"We're almost finished here! One more tune!" Sengaku played a different, slightly faster tune, which immediately destroyed the Oni. "Follow them!"

"Dan, behind you!" Runo yelled. Dan looked back, but he had no time to attack. "Stupid Dan. **Mahou, Light, Dawn's Arrival!" **Lights shone from the sky, weakening and destroying the Oni that came in contact. "Are you alright?"

"Yup, but Chan and Baron are ahead of us. Come on!" Dan and Runo kept running while Nene, Shun, Fabia, and Sengaku followed them.

**"Mahou, Light, Starlight Shuriken!" **Some of the Oni were killed by Baron's shining ninja stars, but one remained. "A little help here, please!"

**"Mahou, Fire, Flare Phoenix!"** Chan's attack worked for a while, but Chris arrived and nullified it. "What was that? How did my attack get nullified?"

"Oh my, don't you dare hurt my Oni." Chris had a phony sympathetic tone in her voice. "He's a Hinoto Oni, you know. Perfect for turning more people into Oni for our army." She ordered to Oni to attack Baron and Chan and bite the people around him.

"All of you, attack the Oni that were bitten." Sengaku yelled from the back. "Most Oni that came from bitten humans are only Mizunoe or Mizunoto, so they're weaker. I'll take care of this Hinoto Oni." Everyone agreed and spread out.

"Sengaku, long time no see." Chris put her crow-feather fan in front of her face. "Aren't you surprised to see me?"

"Yes, I am. Surprised to see that you're still scheming with the Oni and those in the underworld. Who released you from the seal?"

"You don't need to know that. What's important is my new powers. **Youjutsu, Darkness, Seductive Night!" **Again, the sky turned all black, increasing the Onis' energy and weakening Dan and the others. "Told you I'd be back with more."

"My powers may be limited, but I still know how to fight. **Senjutsu, Music, Song of Paradise!"** As a youkai, Chris couldn't stand hearing such heavenly music, so she instantly went crazy. After the others finished destroying the Hinoto Oni, they were about to attack Chris when she disappeared. "She left something behind."

Shun went over to pick it up. "It's a black rose. What does that mean?"

"I think we should go back to Miyoko-sama." Nene suggested. "She should really know about this. I really don't mind if the Oni attacks only headed for us, but I can't stand see these innocent people get hurt for a bad cause." Everyone agreed and followed her back.

_This black rose,_ Shun thought. _Where have I seen this before?_


	4. Threatening Note

**"Mahou, Water, Diving Spray!** Julie, hold off the back!" Marucho jumped off the little boat that the Oni was going to destroy.

"Got it. **Mahou, Earth, Terra Momentum!"** Julie turned around. "Marucho, Shun and the others came!"

"This is crazy! Marucho, Julie, get out of there before you sink and drown!" Nene ordered. **"Mahou, Wind, Tsubasa Aviary!" **The Oni were locked inside the cage while Shun got ready for the last attack.

**"Mahou, Wind, Emerald Gale!" **Shun's attack and Sengaku's flute music combined to attack the Kanoe Oni. "All done. Julie, Marucho, welcome back to Ryuuouriku! Too bad you had to come back to see such a predicament."

"I assume that the Oni have revived, didn't they?" Marucho took a scroll out and unrolled it. "While we were at the mountains helping people with preserving and growing rare herbs, we found this scroll. It's actually a map on the other side, and an ink blot was dotted over here, in the areas around the palace."

"So we immediately came back, knowing that there would be some trouble here." Julie continued. "But it turned out that we were in trouble first, as seen earlier." She looked at Sengaku. "This is..."

"Sengaku Tendou." she introduced. "I'm here to help you with stopping the Oni from reviving."

"Nice to meet you, Sengaku." Marucho replied. "I'm Marucho Marukura, and this is Julie Makimoto. So, I guess it's about time that we go back to the palace. I'd like to see what's happened here so far as well as showing you guys our progress."

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

Miyoko was playing her koto in peaceful harmony when Marucho and Julie yelled. "Oh my, Marucho and Julie are back!" She stood up from her seat and went over to greet them. "What happened in the mountains? Is all the work finished?"

"Well, we almost finished, but the rest of the work is simple enough for the villagers to finish." Marucho explained. "What's more important is this weird scroll with a strange map on the back." Miyoko removed her koto from the table while Marucho spread the scroll out. "Look at this map. Can you see the ink blot and feel the negative energy?"

"Indeed. It feels very much like the energy of the Oni." Miyoko closed her eyes and put her hand over the map. "First, they attack us, and then they attack those innocent citizens. Who will they attack next? Nobody knows what's going to happen."

"Marucho, wait." Shun turned the paper to the text side. "On all four corners, there's a black rose. Just like this one..." Shun took out the black rose that Chris left behind.

"Shun, where did you get that?" Miyoko seemed very angry as if Shun did something wrong.

"On that day when we fought the Oni in the markets where Sengaku lit the firework signal. Chris dropped this after she escaped."

"Chris?" Miyoko glared at Sengaku, who maintained a calm expression. "Let me see that ." Shun handed it to her, and Miyoko began examining it. "Not much negative energy about this rose, sadly. Just keep it safe, Shun. By the way, Alice wants you see you." After hearing that, Shun immediately left while the others continued their discussion.

Shun arrived in front of Alice's room by the banisters near the lake. Alice stood still as she looked into the water. "Miyoko-sama said that you wanted to see me. What's wrong, Alice?"

"The doctor said that I should go outside for some fresh air." Alice replied. "He insisted that by outside, he means crowded places the marketplace, where there are more people and more festivity to keep me cheerful and not so gloomy. It doesn't make sense because he said to stay close to indoors all the time. Still, can you take me there?"

"Sure. As long as it's okay with the high priestess. I don't want to get in trouble with her. I'll go ask her right now."

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

Miyoko was reluctant in letting Alice go outside, but told Shun to stay with Alice at all times and stay close to the palace. "So this is what a marketplace looks like." Alice surprised to see all the shops and stalls down the street. "How come you never tell me about this place? It's wonderful. I can see why my doctor told me to get fresh air here."

"That's because you never ask." Shun replied. "Besides, when was the last time you were actually in a marketplace? You've been inside the palace for so long that we forgot."

"I kind of forgot, too." Alice looked all around. "Can we buy something to eat? I always wanted to try how food _outside _the palace tastes like."

"Maybe later. You know, I'm still patrolling here while taking you outside."

"Can't you just forget that you're working today? Like, maybe the others are patrolling, too. Just for this one day? Please?"

"Okay then. I'll spend more time on you than the time I spend on patrolling. Happy now?"

Alice smiled. "Thanks, Shun." Shun couldn't help but smile back, too. Later in the day, while eating at a small restaurant, Shun took the black rose out and showed it to Alice.

"There's something about this flower that isn't right." Shun started. "Miyoko-sama said that there's no negative energy in this flower. But on the map that Marucho brought, which had black roses at the corners of the paper and a spot of ink on the areas around the palace, had negative energy. How can they not be related."

"Can I see that?" Alice asked." Shun handed the flower to her, who held it gently." I can't believe that something so pretty is related to-ouch!" Alice's finger was bleeding. "Rose thorns. Shun, do you have any bandages?"

"I have a roll right here." Shun cleaned and bandaged Alice's finger, and suddenly, the yells and screams were back again. "What's going on?"

"Help!" Somebody yelled as they ran away. "More Oni coming in our direction!" This wasn't good. Shun was by himself with Alice, and he didn't have any of those fireworks that Sengaku carried to send a signal. _Guess I'll be by myself here._

"Alice, stay away from the Oni and go to somewhere safe. I'll be fine!" The two of them ran in opposite directions. _Thank goodness that its only a Kanoe Oni. These classifications really come in handy. _**"Mahou, Wind, Emerald Gale!" **This time, Shun used his sword, so the attack had a stronger outcome and easily defeated the Oni. But more Oni came, and Shun struggled in solo fighting._ When are they going to stop advancing?_

Meanwhile, Alice was hiding in the entrance of a inn, away from the fight. Shun, please be okay. _This all my fault. I should__n'__t have asked him to bring me out here._ Then Alice realized that her finger was bleeding outside the bandage. _Oh no, I'm going to need more bandages. _"Excuse me, sir. Do you-" Alice realized that there was nobody at the front desk. "Hello? Anyone here?"

Suddenly, something flew past Alice's face, but she dodged it in time. Behind her on the wall, a black rose stuck on the wall like a knife being thrown in the middle of the air to the other side. Alice carefully removed it and saw a neatly folded note inside the flower petals. She opened the note, and her face was full of shock.

Shun, who was very tired from finishing three Kanoto Oni, ran back to find Alice. "Alice! Over here! Are you okay?"

"Shun, what does this note mean? It was in the petals of this black rose that flew into my face while I was in the inn. The rose looks very similar to the one you had." Shun took the note from Alice's hand and read it.

"'The alive should stay alive, the dead should stay dead, the returned should stay returned, but the cursed should pay.' This is a threatening note. They want to get something from us, particularly you."

"But who do I have that the Oni want?" Alice asked.

"I don't know, but they're going to hurt you for it. I'm not going to go easy on them anymore." Shun stuffed the note into his pocket and took Alice back.


	5. Strange Symptoms

On their way back to the palace, Shun was still thinking about what that note might have meant while Alice went to her room. _How are alive, dead, and returned related? And what does cursed have to do with payback?_ He shook his head in confusion and walked over to everyone.

"I have some bad news. Do the words of this note remind you of anything or bring any attention?" Shun cleared his throat and started. "'The alive should stay alive, the dead should stay dead, the returned should stay returned, but the cursed should pay.'" Everyone started thinking, but it didn't bring them anywhere.

"Hold on, Shun. Where did you find that note?" Dan took the note and smelled it. "Roses. What's going on?"

"Alice and I where walking down the marketplace when three Kanoto Oni showed up. While I was fighting, Alice saw a black rose fly past her at where she was hiding. In the flower petals was this note." Shun took out the rose that contained the note out to everyone. "It looks a lot like the one Chris left behind, only fresher. Where's Sengaku?"

"She wasn't here for breakfast," Fabia said.

"We didn't see her during lunch either." Baron replied.

"Sengaku skipped afternoon tea, too." Runo responded.

"Well, if the alive should stay alive, that would be something that's normal." Julie commented. "Same thing for the dead, which is perfectly normal."

"Julie, that does kind of make sense." Chan complimented. "But all alive humans will be dead some day, and the formerly extinct Oni are revived."

"The third phrase states that the returned should be returned." Marucho pondered. "Which probably means that you shouldn't get into others people's business, if you get what I mean."

"That makes sense, too, Marucho. If you owe someone something, you give it back." Miyoko replied. "But what is it about 'but the cursed should pay' that makes it different? That's the only thing I don't understand." Suddenly, Nene ran over frantically.

"Shun! Alice fainted!" Nene yelled. Shun immediately stood up and ran over to her room while the others followed.

"Alice! Are you okay?" No matter how loud Shun yelled, Alice stayed unconscious. "Nene, help me carry her onto her bed." Nene came over while the others stood at the door.

"I'll go get the doctor." Runo ran in the other direction, but was back with Miyoko. "Sorry, Shun. The doctor was busy with somebody else. Miyoko-sama said that she might know how to help."

Miyoko put her hand on Alice's forehead and checked Alice's pulse with her wrist. "She doesn't have a fever, and her breathing is normal. Alice looks perfectly fine. Just what happened during your walk in the markets today, Shun?"

"Let's see," Shun started thinking. "We walked, chatted, ate at a restaurant, got pricked by Chris's black rose, witnessed a-"

"Did you just say that Alice got pricked by Chris's black rose?" Miyoko looked at Shun with wide shocking eyes. "That explains it! There _is _negative energy somewhere in that flower. Shun, can I have both flowers? Nene and I will have to do some examination." Shun handed the flowers to Nene while Miyoko exerted some magical energy onto Alice. "It's too bad that she doesn't know any magic. Shun, please take really good care of her from now on." She and Nene left the room with the others.

"I'm sorry, Alice." Shun apologized. "I'm sorry that I handed the rose to you." He took Alice's hand and saw her finger. _Why is her blood this dark? Dried blood is lighter than this. _Suddenly, Alice woke up to see Shun by her side.

"Shun, there you are." Alice sat up and adjusted her seat. "What happened to me? Did my symptoms come back."

"Don't worry, you're okay." Shun smiled. "After we came back, Nene told us that you fainted, so we came over. Miyoko-sama thinks that it had to do with Chris's rose."

"Now that you mention it, I guess it was from the rose." Alice looked at her hand and remembered. "I almost forgot. After you left to fight the Oni, my finger kept bleeding, but the bandaged was already soggy. I don't know why my finger still bled." Shun took a roll of bandages out and retied Alice's finger.

"All better." Shun ripped the edge off. "That should be-" Suddenly, a crackling sound was heard. Shun turned around and saw a familiar firework in the sky. "Oh no. There must be Oni lurking there in that region." Alice began yelling and screaming for no reason. "Alice, what wrong?"

"My head! It hurts!" Shun wanted to help Alice relieve her pain somehow, but it got worse. "Fabia, Baron, they're in trouble." Alice stopped and looked like she was zoning out. "Starlight Shuriken didn't work. Neither did Crescent Flyer."

"What are you talking about? And how do you know their attacks?" _Shun asked. Wait, if Fabia and the others saw the firework, then they probably would go to where it is._ "Alice, what else do you see?"

"One of the Oni broke Nene's Tsubasa Aviary." Alice continued. "And Terra Momentum got nullified."

At the place where the firework was launched, the team had a tough time fighting off these Oni. "I can't believe that they broke through my attack." Nene yelled. "It was fine last time."

"Not even combination attacks worked." Julie panted. "Why don't we focus on one Oni at a time?" Everyone nodded and aimed their attacks.

**"Mahou, Fire, Flare Phoenix!"**

**"Mahou, Light, Dawn's Arrival!"**

**"Mahou, Fire, Spiral Sparks!"**

Dan, Chan, and Runo combined their attacks and successfully knocked out one of the Oni. "That was a strong Tsuchinoe Oni." Dan commented, "But not strong enough against the three of us."

"A beautiful tune is playing, weakening the Oni." Alice was seeing exactly what was happening at the battle field. _Tune_, Shun thought. _That must be Sengaku._ "Chris came and attacked Sengaku." _How did she know who they are?_

"I see that you're still into music, Sengaku." Chris fanned herself. "It's in the blood, isn't it? How about if I drain that blood? **Youjutsu, Darkness, Seductive night!"**

"The sky's turning dark after Chris used Seductive Night." Alice noted.

"Don't you dare hurt Sengaku!" Julie yelled as she, Marucho, and Nene came to the rescue. **"Mahou, Earth, Terra Momentum!"**

**"Mahou, Water, Diving Spray!"**

**"Mahou, Wind, Tsubasa Aviary!"**

With the help of Sengaku's flute music, Chris couldn't attack and disappeared into space. "Well, at least we did something productive today."

"Chris escaped, but they managed to destroy of the Oni." Alice said.

"Let me take down the last few Oni. **Senjutsu, Music, Song of Paradise!"** One holy magic attack from Sengaku was enough to take down four Oni, but it was very tiring. "Okay, everyone. I think that's about it. I'll just play one last tune before leaving." Sengaku played a purification song on her flute before they came back.

"They're coming back." was Alice's final words before she fainted again.

"Alice! Alice, can you hear me?" Shun yelled again. He looked at Alice's bandaged finger and saw that it bled again. Shun retied it again and went to see the others, who came back just in time.

"Guys, I think I know what that note meant." Everyone looked at Shun in shock and gasped.

"What note?" Sengaku asked, for she was the only one who knew nothing about it. Shun showed the piece of paper to her. " 'The alive should stay alive, the dead should stay dead, the returned should stay returned, but the cursed should pay.' That's easy. It means to follow the path of fate, but those who dare change it will suffer."

"That's close to what I got," Shun replied. "but let me explain it."


	6. Protective Custody

Everyone gathered around Shun to hear what he had to say about the threatening note. "Let me guess, you guys were fighting off some Oni earlier? About five or six?"

"Yeah, it was about five or six?" Dan was trying to remember. "How did-"

"Nene, did the Oni break your Tsubasa Aviary?"

"Of course they did, but how did you-"

"Runo, Chan, and Dan, you guys used a combination attack."

"That's right. We destroyed a Tsuchinoe Oni," Runo responded. "But how-"

"Julie, Nene, and Marucho later did a combination attack on Chris"

"That's right." Marucho replied. "We weren't that successful, though. She-"

"Escaped. Sengaku, after you used holy magic against the final Oni, you purified that are and came back."

"That Chris will never change." Sengaku sighed. "How did you know that I played a purification song? That tune is silent."

"You won't believe this, but Alice woke up from fainting and suddenly had visions of your battle scene." Everyone gasped.

"How is that possible?" Miyoko asked. "I think that there's something wrong with her ever since the finger pricking thing." She took the two roses out. "Before the firework was launched, Nene and I were looking these black roses. They're almost the same, so it was definitely Chris who shot this at Alice."

"So what do we do now?" Chan asked. " Alice is in danger, and we-"

"Did you say something about what the note meant to you?" Sengaku interrupted.

"Well, for some reason, the last part of the note, 'but the cursed should pay,' is different from the others, just like how Alice is different from us." Shun explained. "She doesn't know any magic, but I don't know how to explain the vision and illusions."

"So you're saying that Alice _does _have something to do with this." Sengaku pointed out. "Sometimes, people that don't follow the normal movement of things will suffer. If you were in the Chris's point of view, you'd think that anyone who tries to stop the revival would suffer. In my point of view, anyone who tries to revive the Oni will suffer. I think it's time for some protective custody."

"Protective custody is right." Miyoko commented. "Ever since Shun took Alice out for a walk in the marketplace, things have been getting crazier. Shun, I'm going to have to put you and Alice in a special room that can't be invaded that easily. I hope you don't mind. Nene, help them with the packing."

"Well, if it's for Alice's safety, then I mind at all." Shun replied. "But where is this 'room' that we'll be staying in?"

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"Maybe I shouldn't have asked." Shun regretted. "We're staying in the 'cold palace' where the queen or imperial concubines who have fallen into disgrace lived. At least His Majesty is still single."

"Shun, I can't believe you actually have the time to joke about something like this." Alice laughed uneasily. "Even if a queen was to be in the throne, it would take a long time for them to fall out of grace. Let's just settle down." Alice put her things at one side of the room while Shun put his at the other side.

"I just don't get it." Shun said. "If you're the one that's getting hurt and threatened and getting weird symptoms, why do I have to be locked up as well?"

"You know perfectly well that you _want _to stay here as well." Alice replied. "Ever since you saved me from that accident, you were always by my side protecting me."

"Maybe I do. It's different, because I save a lot of people every day, even before the Oni revived. Yet, you're the only one that I felt that couldn't protect yourself that easily because of _something_. That _something _may have something to do with your sickness."

"I've grown up and learned to be independent and confident, yet I still rely on you. It's as if you're like the key to getting rid of something that's been taunting me for a long time."

"Like your sickness?"

"I guess, but that doesn't make sense. I've been seeing the doctor for years now, and nothing's changing. It's like me sickness is chronic, yet I'm always fine."

"Guess we have to rely on each other, huh?"

"I hope you don't mind this burden."

"Don't say that! You're not a burden, Alice. I'll do anything to protect you."

"Thanks, Shun. You're the best." Alice gave Shun a hug, who blushed crimson.

"Hello? Anyone here?" It was Sengaku's voice, and it was coming closer. "You're not going to starve to death, are you? None of you have fallen into disgrace."

"Whoever said that we weren't eating?" Alice let go of Shun, who opened the door to see Sengaku with some food containers. "Is that food?"

"Runo worked really hard on this just for the two of you, so no need to be courteous and picky about eating it all." Sengaku lifted the covers and put the plates of food on the table. "Here are the chopsticks and rice. Is there anything else you need?"

"Not really." Shun set the table up. "Why don't you stay over for lunch? The more the merrier. By the way, where were you the other day? Nobody saw you at breakfast, lunch, or afternoon tea."

"I had to see a very important person, that's all." Sengaku replied. "On my way back, I saw the Oni and launched a firework. Besides, two's company, three's a crowd. See you later! Oh, your doctor is coming soon. Better eat fast."

"We will. Bye Sengaku!" Alice waved her a good bye. "I really don't know who she is, but she seems nice. Let's eat!"

Both of them had a great time eating, and it was one of the few times that they spent time together with just each other. Shun took a sip of his tea and said, "That was Sengaku, a new helper. Apparently, she knows more about the Oni then we do. She even knows how to use holy magic."

"Wait, so she's immortal?" Alice finished her bowl of rice, vegetables, and meat. "Then what's she doing here in Ryuuouriku?"

"She said that she descended to the mortal world and is here to help us stop the revival of the Oni, but they still just keep on coming." Shun looked at Alice with a weird eyesight. "Are you sure you don't remember anything that you saw in that vision of the battle scene?"

"I'm sorry, but I really don't remember anything. All I remember was that somebody was using dark magic, but I don't remember who."

"That's all you remember? I guess we'll just have to wait until the doctor comes." Shun and Alice cleaned up the table and put everything back into the food containers. _Looks like she only remembers Chris, but why just her?_

"Excuse, is this where Alice-san is staying?" A man was outside requesting to see Alice.

"It's the doctor." Alice opened the door to let the man in. "Please come in."

"I see that you've all moved to here, huh?" He put down his bags and told Alice to sit down. "What? You had lunch without me? Just kidding! Here, let me put this stuff down and mea-" Suddenly, Shun was very focused on the cover binding of the doctor's book. "I'm very sorry, but can you please leave the room? It's important that the patient has their privacy about her medical conditions."

A silhouette of a black rose. "I'm very sorry. I'll exit right now." Shun went outside the cold palace thinking, _Why would his medicine book have a black rose on it?_


	7. Suspicion

_Why would the doctor's medicine book have a black rose on it?_ Shun paced around the front of the cold palace, making sure that he didn't go too far. Later, the doctor came out. "Alice-san needs some fresh air, that's all. I understand that you're in protective custody, but-"

"How do you know that she's in protective custody?" Shun glared at him, who seemed slightly scared.

"I overheard about it when I was on my way here. Those people by the lake are always talking about it with the high pri-"

"The last time I took her sprawling in the market, we were attacked by Oni. Is that safe? I don't think so."

"I really don't know how to solve to solve this problem. Good bye."

"Just exactly what is wrong with Alice any-?"

"Good bye." The doctor left, and Shun ran back into the cold palace. _This person is very suspicious. I"d better be careful._

"Alice, what happened? What did the doctor say?"

"He said fresh air over and over that it became redundant." Alice complained. "I told him about when happened last time, but he said to go somewhere else for fresh air, somewhere farther than the palace."

_Looks like Alice is pretty suspicious, too._ "Um, I need to talk to the high priestess for now? Will you be alright by yourself here?"

"I'll be fine. Go ahead. I'll find you if necessary."

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

Miyoko was in the throne room again, talking to the king about the same problem. Shun, seeing that she wasn't playing her koto by the pond, went to the throne room. "Miyoko-sama, may I talk to you?"

"Hello there, Shun." Miyoko greeted. "What would you like to talk to me about? Your Majesty, please excuse me for leaving."

Once excused, Miyoko and Shun walked out to the pond. "Now, what would you like to talk to me about?"

"Miyoko-sama, I think there's something wrong with the doctor that Alice sees every day."

"Something wrong? What do you mean by that?"

"Like today, I saw that his medicine book had a black rose silhouette on the cover. He told Alice to go somewhere _far _from the palace for fresh air. He's won't tell me what sickness Alice has. Isn't that weird?"

"Shun, it's been more than ten years. We haven't seen a single thing wrong with him. This is why he's Alice's primary doctor in the first place."

"But Miyoko-sama, you have to believe me. There is something-"

"If there is something wrong, we'll find it. Shun, your job is to protect Alice and stay in the cold palace. Please don't go anywhere. I don't even know why you"re here."

"But he told me to get out for now while he was measuring Alice's pulse!"

"Shun, please stay out of this. I have more things to do than this." Miyoko left and went back to the throne room. _I guess I'll have to check this out myself, _Shun thought. _Even the high priestess won"t help me._

Shun ran to the front gates of the palace and saw that the doctor was about to exit the final gate. I'll start following him from here. As soon as the doctor left the final gate, Shun began lurking in the tree branches.

Meanwhile, the doctor was looking everywhere, as if he suspected that he was being followed. He kept walking, and Shun kept following. The tide was about to turn when he took a path down to the bamboo groves. Why would he go here? This was going to be difficult for Shun, because lurking in bamboo stalks required more balance than lurking in trees.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

Back in the outer palace, Runo was getting ready for afternoon tea. "Dan, you carry the jasmine tea. Fabia, Baron, I have these plates of mochi to be taken outside. Chan, call everyone over to eat." People came over, and Runo passed plates for everyone except for Alice, who had her share of food reserved and to be taken to her later.

"Runo, I can't find Shun." Chan came back a few minutes after everyone bit into their first mochi or drank their first sip of tea.

"Maybe he's just lurking in the trees or something." Marucho replied. "Remember last time Dan was going to eat a green tea mochi, but Shun appeared out of nowhere and switched it with a red bean mochi?" Baron asked. "That was actually pretty funny. You should"ve seen Dan"s face"

"That's...nice." Julie commented. "Runo, I think we should reserve some of the mochi for him just in case he comes back later." Runo agreed and took a plate of mochi away.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

_What is he doing in that straw house? _Shun lurked in the bamboo grove around the straw house for at least an hour now, but nothing happened. In the window, Shun could see that the doctor was turning pages of the black rose book. Suddenly, something caught his eye. One of the pages was missing. _Each page looks like the map that Marucho brought back. The material and design look similar._ Then he heard people talking.

"I don't get how a page was ripped out of this book without us knowing." the doctor said. "I didn't even know what was on this page."

"I remember what each page looks like." It was a girl's voice. _Is that Chris? _"There was a page of text one side, and a map on the other. I blotted a spot of ink on the area around the palace. There's we'll plan our next attack."

"When will that be?" the doctor asked. "By the way, I've heard that Alice is now in protective custody and held in the cold palace. Should we attack there?"

"Cold palace, huh? That serves her right. Who's idea was it to be cursed since birth? That note was sure threatening. Our attack with have to take some time." she answered. "We need to eavesdrop more. By the way, are you sure that nobody knows of our movements?"

"That's the problem. I think that Shun Kazami is a little suspicious of us. We need to get rid of him somehow." The doctor pondered for a moment. "What's worse is that he's staying in the cold palace with Alice. That"ll be tough."

_That's it. You will __**not **__get away with this. _Shun was going to move a little closer when his foot got caught in a bamboo net of bamboo leaves.

"Who's there?!" the woman yelled. She came out, and Shun saw her face. _It __**is **__Chris. _"Seishirou, we're going to launch the attack on the palace tonight. Call all the Oni together now."

"I knew that you'd make the attack time a lot earlier, Chris." Seishirou put his hand on Chris's shoulder and pat her on the back. "Nobody had dare to stop me, or Seishirou Kiju isn't my name."

Shun, realizing that his presence was discovered, went back to the palace as fast as he could._ So Chris and that so-called doctor Seishirou Kiju are together. That's not good for any of us. No wonder Chris knows my name. Seishirou told her everything._ Finally, he reached the outer palace and saw everyone cleaning up from afternoon tea.

"Shun, you're a little bit late fore afternoon tea." Nene said. "We al-"

"This isn't time for afternoon tea aftermath, even though I didn't steal Dan's mochi." Shun interrupted. He saw Miyoko and went over to her. "Miyoko-sama, prepare for an Oni attack tonight."


	8. Palace Invasion

"Miyoko-sama, prepare for an Oni attack tonight." Shun ordered. He held a serious expression on his face, for he didn't want to be ignored and pushed away like last time. "Miyoko-sama!"

Miyoko was very surprised. "Hold on, Shun. Why so sudden? And why tonight? We're not going to be awake by then." Shun didn't listen and was heading for the cold palace. "Shun Kazami, what is going on?!"

"Mom, please relax." Dan tried to calm her down. "Shun, what's going on?"

"Seishirou and Chris are planning an Oni attack on the palace tonight." Shun said. "You might want to be prepared. Right now, I need to see Alice. She's in great danger."

"I'm coming with you, Shun." Sengaku followed Shun to the cold palace, not bothering to listen to what the other's had to say..

"Shun seems very serious about this." Runo commented. "Wait, did he say 'Chris'? And who was the other guy that he mentioned?"

"Seishirou...oh my gosh, I know that name!" Miyoko was finally starting to understand what Shun meant. "Runo, tell the chefs to make prepare dinner right before sunset. We need to be strong and energized for this attack."

"Miyoko-sama, are you taking part in this attack, too?" Chan asked.

"I have no choice. If Seishirou Kiju is going to participate in this attack, then you won't be able to withstand it." Miyoko replied. "But what does Alice have to do with this?"

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"I knew it. There was something wrong with that doctor." Shun opened the door of the cold palace. "Alice! Bad news!"

"Shun! Sengaku! What's the problem?" Alice asked ask she got up from her seat.

"You're in great danger. That doctor of yours isn't anything good." Shun told Alice everything he saw in that straw house and how it relates to Alice. "He's the reason why you're not getting any better. He's never even prescribed any helpful medicine. That guy is working with Chris and the Oni."

"Are you serious?" Sengaku asked. "Then that means that he'll come to get Alice during tonight's attack. But I still don't get how Alice has something to do with this predicament."

"Alice had the ability to see beyond things and look into the future." Shun answered. "If only you could look into the future again to see when the Oni will attack."

"Wait, I think I know how that works." Sengaku stepped over. "My ability to look in the future was taken away sadly, but I can trigger somebody else to do it. Alice, move your head over." Alice faced Sengaku, who put two of her fingers on Alice's forehead. A wave of energy flowed, and Alice was getting visions in her head.

"I think I see something." Alice said. "A full moon in the sky, but no stars. Chris arrives and fights off the first rows of soldiers. You guys come over to fight against Chris. Then high priestess comes to fight off Seishirou. He escapes, however, and goes to-" Sengaku let go, and the wave of energy was gone. "Sengaku, are you okay?"

"Triggering somebody to see the future wastes more energy than looking into the future myself." Sengaku panted. "I'm sorry that we didn't get to see the end part, but I need to conserve my energy." Suddenly, Baron and Fabia arrive at front of the doors with food carriages.

"Sengaku, it's dinner time." Fabia said. She went back to the dining hall with Sengaku, who waved good bye to Shun and Alice.

"Alice, Shun, this is for you." Baron handed the containers to them. "We're having dinner early in preparation of tonight's attack."

"So Miyoko-sama believes me now?" Shun asked.

"As soon as she heard the name Seishirou, she was ordering a lot of things to happen. See you later. Be ready for tonight's attack."

"I will. Thanks, Baron."

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

The soldiers lined up the entire palace grounds while the team gathered in the center area of the palace. Miyoko played her koto in hopes that the tunes will detect anyone's arrival. Meanwhile, Shun explained everything.

"The doctor that sees Alice every day is actually Seishirou Kiju, although I don't know who he really is. He's working with with Chris, or should I say Chris is working with him, to revive the Oni. Marucho, that map you found a long time ago is actually the missing page in his black rose book."

"No wonder this edge looks so uneven." Marucho realized. "It wasn't really a scroll at all!"

"Also, he knows a lot of our movements and actions from Alice." Shun continued. "I'm not saying that she's betraying us, but he's doing something that's making Alice tell him everything. That's how Chris knew my name."

"Pretty unbelievable, I must." Runo commented. "So, we're going to wait until it's a full moon to attack, right?"

"Full moon and _no _stars." Shun added. "Look at the sky." The moon was becoming more visible, and the stars slowly disappeared. "What a phenomenon." Suddenly, an irregular shadow appeared in the sky. Some screams were heard in the front of the palace. "Everyone, to the front of the palace!" _This is exactly like what Alice said._

**"Mahou, Fire, Spiral Sparks!"**

**"Mahou, Light, Dawn's Arrival!"**

Dan fought off the first line of Oni while Runo shed some light on them. "They had to pick such a dark time like this to fight, but light's everywhere. Right, Runo?" Over at the eastern side, a few Hinoto Oni and some Mizunoto Oni arrived.

**"Mahou, Water, Diving Spray!"**

**"Mahou, Light, Crescent Flyer!"**

The flood of water washed off the entire group of Mizunoto Oni and damaged the remaining Oni a little bit. "As usual. The Oni are afraid of light, but my Crescent Flyer under a full moon is more than just pure light."

As the western side, a couple of Hinoto Oni was destroying the entire palace grounds, making the ground uneven. **"Mahou, Earth, Terra Momentum!" **Not only did that smooth out the terrain, it did quite a lot of damage to the Oni that were on the ground. "Your turn, Baron!"

"Got it!** Mahou, Light, Starlight Shuriken!" **With the unbalanced terrain, the Oni had a hard time dodging the ninja stars without getting hit by another one.

The northern side was crazier, for a Kinoto Oni was destroying the walls.** "Mahou, Wind, Tsubasa Aviary!"** That locked the Oni down, but it wasn't enough to hold them completely down. Shun went on top of the cage and attacked.

**"Mahou, Wind, Emerald Gale!"** Because of the angle Shun was facing, his attack completed pushed the Oni down. "Seishirou should be arriving right about now." Just as he said it, a strong wave of negative energy knocked everyone out. Suddenly, one of the strings on Miyoko's koto broke.

"I knew it. Seishirou's here." A shadow descended in front of Miyoko. "I know it's you, Seishirou. How did you break out of the seal?"

"Simple. Way too simple." The dust went away, showing Seishirou's face. "I see that you've aged, Miyoko."

"I see that you've never changed, Seishirou. Still into reviving the Oni, aren't you? You're not getting past here without getting through me." Using her magic, Miyoko fixed the broken string and played a completely different tune. Sengaku, who was at another area of the palace, played the same tune with her flute in perfect harmony with Miyoko. Suddenly, the tide of the fight completely changed.


	9. Power Upgrade

"Don't think that such music is going to hurt me." Seishirou yelled. "Perhaps you've forgotten who it was that broke your original koto." The koto music might not have work, but once Sengaku played her flute, Seishirou suddenly became dizzy. "W-What is this music?"

"Harmony, Seishirou. You'll never understand the beauty and power hidden in a simple tune." Miyoko and Sengaku played faster, and a great flow of positive energy spread throughout the entire palace.

"That's it!" Seishirou yelled. "Chris, command all of the Oni to gather here and attack!"

"Got it!" Chris waved her fan, and swarms of Oni were coming to where Miyoko was. "We'll see how long you'll hold up."

"You can attack all you want with your army, but I have my own army, too." Miyoko played faster, but Seishirou didn't care.

"All of you, attack that dreaded woman!" The Oni followed his command and were about to attack Miyoko when a strong counterattack was used. "What the-"

"You're not going to hurt anyone around here." Shun came with the others. "I can feel the energy rushing through my entire body. Let's use this new energy on them!" With a loud shout, everyone charged for the Oni. At the same some, some Kinoto and Hinoe Oni gathered together to block the moonlight.

"Not good. With the moon blocked, the Oni will be stronger against us." Runo noted. **"Mahou, Light, Eternal Sunrise!" **Suddenly, the entire palace was full of sunlight that even the lanterns lit up. "This is beautiful and powerful at the same time." With power of direct sunlight shining all around, the Oni were getting weaker, but remained close together.

"They want to be stuck together, huh?" Chan smirked. "Dan, let's split them up. **Mahou, Fire, Pyro Punch!" **Strong fire energy blasted through that "clump" of Oni, and Dan came up behind Chan.

"Group attacks and single attacks, huh? **Mahou, Fire, Firework Flash!"** Extremely explosive fireworks landed on each Oni and exploded. "That literally cracked me up. Get it?" Most of the Oni landed on the ground, so Julie took it from there.

**"Mahou, Earth, Quicksand Roamer!" **Julie applied extreme pressure onto the ground, and the fallen Oni couldn't stand walking on the ground anymore.

"Do you really think that you can destroy these Oni as simple as that?" Seishirou criticized. "Chris! Catch this!" He threw an amulet-looking thing to her.

"Thank you so much." Chris smirked back. "You're not the only ones that have your power increased, _Kazami_-_kun_." She swallowed the amulet, and an aura of negative energy surrounded her. "Take this!" With a swept of her fan, Julie, Chan, Dan, and Runo all got knocked out onto the wall.

"Wait, did she just swallow an amulet?" Shun asked. Everyone nodded in shock after seeing how drastic Chris changed. "People, take my cover." Shun made a detour through the trees and went up behind Chris, who _still _didn't realize that Shun was behind her.

"How's it going?" Chris was surprised to hear Shun's voice. "I really didn't want to do this, but I'm going let it go this because of you, _Chris_-_chan_." Shun took his fan out and stabbed Chris's nape. He also used the handle part of his sword to hit Chris's back. With two strong forces acting on Chris, she had no choice but to spit the amulet out and lose her energy. Dan and the other three regained their energy. "Hold on. Isn't _this _Alice's lucky amulet. How did it get here? And why does it look so familiar?" Everyone looked around, but Seishirou ambushed Shun and took the amulet from him.

"So I've heard that this amulet is forever linked to Alice, right?" He said. "That means I can find Alice no matter where you hide her." Seishirou disappeared into nowhere, leaving Chris and the Oni behind.

"We can't go after him with the Oni in our way." Shun pointed out. "We need to keep them all together."

"Leave that to me." Nene announced. **"Mahou, Wind, Feather Strangler!" **Long feathers extended everywhere, wrapping the Oni really tightly that none of them escaped. "Shun, here's your chance! Go find Alice! I'm not sure if Sengaku can hold it for long." Shun and Miyoko headed to where they hid Alice. "Fabia, Baron, Marucho, help me out here!"

**"Mahou, Light, Crescent Arrow!"** Fabia changed her naginata in to a bow and shot a strong, crescent shaped energy. "Baron!"

"Behind you! **Mahou, Light, Starlight Blades!" **Two blades projected from Baron's hands as he charged and ripped through the Oni. "That was disgusting, but at least the Oni were killed. Finishing move, anyone?"

"As if it's not necessary." Marucho was the last to attack and approached to the ground. **"Mahou, Water, Purity Springs!" **Towers of pure water showered everywhere, destroying anything full of negative energy that it touches. "We better check on Dan and the others. They were knocked out really badly out there." Everyone agreed, and Marucho led the way.

"Ow, my head hurts." Dan was the last one to get out from unconsciousness. "Guys, what happened?"

"That Chris knocked us out really badly." Chan commented. "Dan, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Hey, it's Marucho." Julie and Runo held Dan up as he waved to Marucho. "We're over here."

"I'm so glad that you're all okay." Nene exclaimed. "No bruises or anything, I hope."

"We're fine." Julie replied. She looked around the area in disappointment. "Where's Shun?"

"And Miyoko-sama?" Runo asked.

"Seishirou escaped, so the high priestess went after him. Shun went off to find Alice." Baron answered.

"And Chris is still lurking around this palace somewhere. I hope Sengaku can withstand it." Fabia replied.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Dan asked. "We have to go protect Alice." Everyone agreed and ran to the very back of the palace.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"I'm not letting you in!" Sengaku was very tired from blocking Seishirou's attacks, but she could still hold it. **"Senjutsu, Music, Song of Paradise!" **Seishirou would be directly attacked by that, but he counterattacked and knocked out Sengaku, who now could only play her flute as retaliation. "You'll never get Alice."

"Will you just step aside? I see that Miyoko _still _hasn't changed, befriending and accepting a mere messenger as a helper. What bad eyesight she has."

"At least it's better than your eyesight for taking in Chris. She doesn't belong in such matters. Why, she doesn't have and never had any power of some sort! Neither do you!"

"Shut up! I will kill you this instant if you say one more-"

**"Mahou, Wind, Soaring Grace!"** Waves of winds flew to and fro but eventually focused on attacking Seishirou, but ended up hitting someone else. "Chris!"

"Seishirou, you had better leave with Alice. This is all the time that I can stall for!" Chris was getting weak and weaker due to Shun's new powers, but Seishirou broke in the room and took Alice away.

"Alice, no!" He applied her stronger attack on Chris, who was now heavily damaged and disappeared. Sengaku, still having a little energy left, threw something at Alice, who became unconscious from what Seishirou did to her.

"Sengaku, are you okay?" Dan and the others arrived, only to see the aftermath of what happened.

"What happened here?" Nene asked. Shun looked very lifeless, but Sengaku stood up and spoke.

"With that music note that I threw at Alice, we'll be able to track where Alice is." Sengaku told everyone. "There's still a little bit of hope left in finding her, so we must act quickly."


	10. Kidnapped

Alice finally woke up, her head and body still in pain from a while ago. "Where am I?" She saw the chains on her hands and feet. "Hey, let me go! What is this?!"

"And why should we do that?" Chris walked in with a smirk on her face. "You're not important to just that Kazami-kun of yours, but you're also important to us as well."

"Don't call Shun by that!" Alice was reached out to hit Chris, but Chris used her fan in self-defense. "What is this place?"

"The Kuroki Mountains." Chris replied. "But they'll never find you here. I put up a special barrier that blocks all outside magic from detecting your presence. Even if you do have special powers of some sort, it can't be detected." Chris stepped back to let Seishirou in.

"So you're that Alice Gehabich that Shun tries so hard to protect but failed to. What a pity." Seishirou snickered. "Do you know why we're keeping your here? I'm probably sure you don't. I'm also pretty sure you really want to find out, don't you?"

"He didn't fail to." Alice yelled. "If he was able to find out that my doctor was a fake and working with Chris and the Oni and was able to eavesdrop for any news, just like how you eavesdrop on us, then that's already a great victory." Alice tried breaking loose from the chains, but all she did was cause her arms and feet to bleed.

"I forgot to tell you." Chris came back. "These are a special type of chains. Despite being locked with black magic, there are small blades on the inside that will make whoever tries to break loose bleed. Now, Kazami-kun wouldn't like to see that, would he?" She and Seishirou continued snickering.

"For the last time, don't call him by that! If you want something, ask me, because you can't hurt Shun! Neither will I let you do so!" Alice tried so hard to break loose but knew that it wouldn't work. Shun, please help me...

"Looks like one of the lovebirds wants to know the truth." Seishirou smirked. "Might as well have you die in knowing what happened instead of dying in mystery. Now, you have the ability to see into the future and other places and know what going on. I'm going to take that power away from you as a plan on reviving every single Oni that ever existed. Now give that power to me!"

"I don't know what you're talking about or how to give it to you, but you'll never get it either way." Alice screamed. "This is something that's crucial to Shun, and I won't do anything that will hurt him. I'd rather die than do that!" More blood came from her wrists and feet.

"So, you'd rather die than betray Shun, huh?" Chris gave Seishirou a glance and whispered something into his ear.

"That's perfect!" Seishirou laughed evilly. "Now, we can't have everything go your way, little princess, because then it would be too much of a challenge for Shun." He took out the amulet. "Look at this amulet and focus. You are to attack Shun and kill him, along with Miyoko and the others."

"No, I won't! I absolutely won't listen to-" Alice temporarily zoned out, with her eyes looking at nothing but Seishirou's amulet. "Yes, Seishirou-sama. I'll kill Shun, the high priestess, and the others."

"Good girl." Chris unchained her and transferred some negative energy into her body. "Kill him with black magic, darling." She and Seishirou continued laughing as Alice left the mountains.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

Shun and the others were in the bamboo groves, looking for Alice. Miyoko came along, knowing that the team wouldn't be powerful enough against Seishirou. Sengaku kept walking in one direction.

"How is your flute going to help us find Alice?" Chan asked.

"Easy. I threw a musical note at her yesterday, and my flute can track where that note is, even if there are barriers around here." Sengaku laid her flute on her palm and let the flute turn in the direction of where that note is. "Shun, are you okay?"

"Yeah, buddy. You've been gloomy ever since breakfast this morning." Dan put his hand on Shun's shoulder. "Get over it, dude. What's done is done." Some people gave Dan a look of disgust.

"Forget what he said, Shun." Runo glared at Dan. "Alice isn't just important to you. She's important to all of us."

"So don't worry, Shun." Fabia spoke. "We'll all do our best and put all of our effort into finding Alice. We promise."

"Thanks, everyone." Shun replied in gloomy voice. "But this is Seishirou we're talking about. His powers are really strong. You've seen the battle last night. He can summon Oni to help him at any time."

"So you're saying that this is an excuse for us not to find Alice?" Marucho asked. "What happened to the clear-headed Shun that we all used to know and appreciate?"

"Guess what?" Sengaku said. "The signal is getting stronger, so Alice must be around here somewhere."

"But isn't it kind of stupid for Seishirou to hide Alice and lock her up here?" Baron questioned. "A lot of people pass through here every day, so it-"

"There's a strong wave of negative energy here." Miyoko played a few notes on her koto. "Even my koto senses it. That's not good."

"Maybe it's just Seishirou and Chris, who knows. I hope they haven't discovered us, yet." Julie replied. But Miyoko shook her head.

"It's not Seishirou or Chris. It's something else." Miyoko played her koto again. Suddenly, something rustled in the bamboo stalks. "Everyone, get ready to attack!" Everyone formed a circle around Miyoko and Sengaku. The thing rustled again. "Over there!" Miyoko played her koto and cause a small explosion.

Sengaku was looking at her flute again. "Wait, if that's the negative energy that Miyoko-sama is talking about, and flute is pointing at that thing with a strong signal, then it couldn't be-"

"Maybe the Oni are holding her captive." Julie freaked out. **"Mahou, Earth, Quicksand Roamer!" **A huge earthquake occurred, but that still couldn't determine what the enemy was.

"Julie, you're going to kill Alice if you do that on full power." Nene yelled. **"Mahou, Wind, Feather Strangler!"** Long feathers extended into the dust and pulled some Hinoto Oni. "Or maybe not."

**"Mahou, Light, Eternal Sunrise!"** The light weakened and damaged the Oni, and they immediately died. "There's more down there!"

**"Mahou, Fire, Firework Flash!" **Dan charged through stalks of bamboo and exploded the Kanoto Oni behind him. "Hey! A little help here! This Oni is just-"

"Watch out, Dan!" Shun jumped through the bamboo stalks to where Dan was. **"Mahou, Wind, Soaring Grace!" **The Kinoto Oni was tough, but it was killed anyway. "Dan, you shouldn't-" Suddenly a strong wave of energy knocked Shun out onto a bamboo stalk.

"Shun!" Everyone ran over to where Shun fell down. He was badly knocked out and unconscious, and Miyoko came over to check his pulse.

"Thank goodness! He's still alive, everyone. Just got hit in the head really hard." Miyoko concluded. "But what could've knocked Shun out this badly?"

"Don't tell me that it's-" Sengaku stopped talking as the shadowy figure descended to the ground. Sengaku flute was going crazy, meaning that Alice was very close. "It can't be!" The dust flew away, revealing the shadows true identity.

"Alice!"


	11. Hypnotized Betrayal

"Alice!" Everybody was shocked. Alice didn't know any magic, yet she had the power to hit Shun very painfully.

"So this is the negative energy that my koto keeps sensing." Miyoko realized.

"And this is what my flute keeps pointing to." Sengaku added. "But how-" Before Sengaku finished talking, Alice charged past her and made another attack on Shun.

"Everyone, use everything and anything you can to stop Alice! But be careful not to hurt her, either." Nene ordered. **"Mahou, Wind, Feather Strangler!" **Alice hands, feet, and body were tied with feathers, but she broke loose with a quick snap. "Impossible!"

**"Mahou, Water, Purity Springs!" **Marucho hoped that the towers of water would block Alice's path, but she broke right through them. "How can she possibly do that without getting purified?"

**"Mahou, Light, Crescent Arrow!"**

**"Mahou, Light, Starlight Blades!"**

Fabia shot two beams of energy, and each beam of energy fused with each of Baron's blades. He made a crossed-shaped attack on Alice, but not only did Alice break the energy crescents, he also broke Baron's blades. "Fabia! It didn't work!"

"Baron! Fabia! Knock her down onto the ground instead!" Julie yelled. They sneaked up behind Alice and kicked her down. **"Mahou, Earth, Quicksand Roamer!" **The ground shook harder and harder, but Alice maintained her balance no matter what. Not only, Alice punched the ground and counterattacked Julie.

"Julie!" Runo ran over to where Julie was and held her up. "Stay strong, Julie! Just rest for now." Runo glared at Alice. "I don't know what Seishirou did to you, but I'm going to fight with you anyway. **Mahou, Light, Eternal Sunrise!" **Light shone everywhere, but Alice didn't seem to be affected by it at all.

**"Mahou, Fire, Pyro Punch!"** Chan was aiming for Alice's back, but she turned around and retaliated. "How in the world did she do that?!"

"Chan, be careful." Dan ran to Alice and attacked. **"Mahou, Fire, Firework Flash!"** True, Alice was stuck in the bunch of fireworks, but she looked perfectly fine and undamaged. "Not even a single explosion scar! Shun, we need your help!"

"Coming!" Shun ran as fast as could, even though he had a few wounds. **"Mahou, Wind, Soaring Grace!"** Unlike the previous attacks, Alice took the time to block Shun's attack. "What's going on? I can't let go!" But it wasn't until Alice released her barrier against him that she hit Shun back.

"Oh no. That's some strong black magic about to be used." Miyoko yelled.

"Black magic?!" yelled everyone unison. Negative energy gathered around Alice as she made her attack.

**"Youjutsu, Darkness, Shadow of Desire!" **Alice aimed her attack directly at Shun, who couldn't retaliate because of his wounds. Suddenly, Shun fell into a trance and started seeing things.

"Alice! Where are you?" Shun yelled everywhere, but nobody responded. "It's the Oni gain. Where did you take Alice to?!" In reality, the "Oni" that Shun was charging for was really Dan. In Shun's point of view, everyone except Alice was an Oni. Shun attacked everyone, but instead of fighting back, everyone dodged him in fear of hurting him with their attacks.

"We can't just dodge Shun forever." Baron stated. "Look at him! He thinks we're his enemies."

"What's worse is that Alice is the one who caused this." Marucho commented. "Miyoko-sama, isn't there anything we can do?"

"I've never seen something like this happen before. The best you can do is to defeat Alice and restore Shun to his senses." replied the high priestess.

"Something must've happened to Alice while she was kidnapped and held hostage." Sengaku concluded. "Let's see if this works." Sengaku played a new tune on her flute, and the musical note that she threw at Alice was having a huge reaction.

"It's working!" Dan yelled. "Shun's not attacking me anymore!" Everyone went over to Shun, who was regaining his energy and memory back from the illusions.

"What happened?" Shun was confused. "Did I do something to you guys?"

"Well, let's just say that it was Alice cause you did that." Dan replied. "Look." Sengaku kept playing her flute, and Alice held her head in pain from hearing the heavenly music.

"Let go of her!" Chris suddenly came and hit Sengaku's hands. Alice fainted and fell down to the ground. "We'll see you next time." Chris left with Alice in her hands, unconscious once again.

"Alice, how could you?" Shun sounded as if he was going to cry, but he held it in from the others. "Why would you work together with them?"

"Shun, it's not her fault." Sengaku reassured. "If you didn't realize, I was playing an anti-hypnosis tune on my flute. You were hypnotized by Alice's attack, which is why you attack Dan and the others. Alice must of been hypnotized by Seishirou. I would've succeeded if Chris hadn't come." Sengaku put her flute on her palm again. "There's a strong signal in that direction. We should go there."

"Hold on. That means we're going to have to go into Kuroki Mountains." Miyoko commented. "I hope you're all prepared."

_So Alice did all of that involuntarily. It's not her fault at all. _Shun wiped his eyes while no one was looking. "Don't worry, Miyoko-sama. If it's for Alice, I'm always prepared."

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"What?!" Seishirou yelled. "How did Sengaku know that it was hypnosis that I used on her?"

"I don't think she did." Chris replied. "She was supposed to play that on Shun, who got hypnotized into attacking Dan and the others with by Alice's attack. Somehow, the same thing that happened to Shun happened to Alice, only stronger and more impacting. Any plans yet?"

"Oh, I have plans, alright." Seishirou looked outside. "There are Oni lurking all over this mountain. They can pass-"

"Seishirou, where are you?!" Shun yelled. His voice echoed into every natural corridor in the mountains. "Give Alice back!"

"How did he even get up here?" Chris wondered. "Maybe it's Sengaku who helped them in. Let me take care of them for now." Chris teleported to where Shun was.

"Chris! Where are Seishirou and Alice?" Shun impatiently pointed his sword at Chris, but she was determined to stall him.

"What's the matter, Kazami-kun? Miss your lovebird already?" Chris smirked. "I'm telling you, Alice already gave up on you. Seeing that Seishirou really cares for her, Alice automatically accepted him. It absolutely took you too long to save her."

_"...Alice must of been hypnotized by Seishirou..." _Shun pondered over and over about Sengaku's words. "I'm sorry, but I don't think that Seishirou is the only one that knows hypnosis around here, does he?" Shun asked. Chris stepped back in slight horror.

_How did he know that it was just hypnosis. Who else on his side knows about it? _Chris thought. _Miyoko? Sengaku? Himself? _"If you really don't believe me, you can just go and find out for yourself. No big deal. I'm sure he'd let you see a little bit of the torture." Shun tilted an eyebrow. "Oh! Did I say torture? I meant that you're going to get tortured for coming back to _interrupt _them." Chris left right around when Dan and the others came.

"Shun, what happened? Did you see Alice?" Dan asked.

"Guys, we need to get up this mountain and find Seishirou now." Shun answered. "Chris was just here, and she was up to her lying tricks again."

"Don't believe a single word she says, Shun." Sengaku commented. "The top of the mountain isn't far away. Come on!" Everyone followed her up the path.

The first person to reach the top was Shun. _A solid wall gate_. **"Mahou, Wind, Soaring Grace!"** Shun used his sword to cut through the rock wall. A sliver of light leaked through, and with another attack, the rock gate broke. On the other side of the wall was Seishirou, trying to absorb Alice's energy.

"Seishirou! What are you doing?! Let go of Alice this instant!"

"Hello, Shun." Seishirou smirked. "You'll see."


	12. Kinoto Oni

Dan, Miyoko, and the others arrived just in time to see everything. "Seishirou!" Miyoko yelled. "How cruel will you get?!"

"Very, _very _cruel, if you ask me." he replied. "But you were even more cruel back then." Everyone looked at Miyoko with surprised faces.

"Mom, what does he mean by that?" Dan asked. Miyoko was going to explain, but Seishirou interrupted.

"Your mother was even more cruel than what I'm doing now." Seishirou explained. "Back then, humans and Oni were able to live in peace, but thanks to your mother, who decided to make the Oni extinct, everything just messed up. Just because this one Oni killed an innocent man, she made up her mind about making them extinct."

"Seishirou, don't you dare say that in front of my mother!" Dan yelled." That innocent man was my father!"

"So you know, huh?" Seishirou smirked. "In addition to that, Miyoko and I were great partners in keeping the world balanced. However, ever since the Oni incident, I decided to break away from her."

"I wish that you broke away from a long time earlier." Miyoko talked back. "I don't think it's this simple, just about the Oni. You were jealous that I loved Shinjirou, your _best friend_, and not you. You realized that once we got married, you have no chance of getting after me anymore. You bribed an Oni to do your dirty work and meddled with the evidence so it'd look like an accident. No matter how you comforted me, it _never _worked. You thought it'd be over, but when Dan was born, you were in pure shock."

"But how does this relate to Sengaku?" Dan asked. "And how am I involved?"

"Like the high priestess and Seishirou, Chris and I were later chosen to maintain balance in the three worlds. But because I was promoted to being a messenger in the skies, Chris got jealous and decided to side with Seishirou and the underworld to revive the Oni." Sengaku explained. "Miyoko-saya and I planned attack on Seishirou twenty years ago, which was supposed to seal Seishirou and Chris. But what I don't get is how they got out."

"Seishirou and I switched places, that's all." Chris replied. "The seal you put for me was weaker than Seishirou's seal, so Seishirou broke out later and disguised as Alice's doctor. Soon, he had the power to break me from my seal."

"What about me and Alice?" Shun asked and looked at Sengaku. "And twenty years ago? You're only fourteen!"

"I'm immortal, remember?" Sengaku answered. "Shun, remember when you said that you rescued Alice from that terrible accident with the fire? That was no accident. While you guys were fighting of the Oni at the palace, I secretly looked into Alice's memories of the past. Ten years ago, there was corruption in that village where the two wells that Seishirou and Chris were sealed in located. Too bad the villagers didn't know anything. Ten years after the sealing, Seishirou broke out, causing damage everywhere. The yin-yang pieces used to seal that well broke. The Yin piece went with Alice and the Yang piece went with you. I added magic to them both so they be forever linked to the owner. At that time, both of you were quite young, so you probably don't know much about it or don't remember."

"That explains this." Shun took out a curved half of the yin-yang out. "No wonder Alice's amulet looks so familiar. It's the other half of my amulet." During the entire explanation, nobody noticed that Seishirou and Alice were gone, only leaving Chris and an army of Oni behind.

"So what will you do now?" Chris asked. "Seishirou and Alice are gone, except for me and my precious army."

"Shun, you go find Alice. We can hold off from here." Sengaku told Shun, who jumped through the Oni to get to the really top of the mountain. The others fought off the Oni that were in the way. "Chris, let's see who's really improved."

"I obviously don't think it's you." Chris smirked. **"Youjutsu, ****Darkness****, Seductive Night!"** The Kuroki Mountain were dark enough inside, but Chris made it beyond darkness. "Let's see how you fight in the night." Chris immediately hit Sengaku, who had no idea where Chris was coming from. Even though the others lit up the mountains with their attacks, it was only temporary, but Sengaku became used it. "Why do you always have to be the best? Can't you ever let me have a turn?"

"I've let you had a turn before, Chris, but you never accepted my offer. Besides, if you want something, you can't wait for it come. You have to get it yourself. Haven't you heard of the saying, 'haste makes waste?' You lack the patience that makes people move forward."

"So you're saying that we have to fight against each other just to get something? I wish that this wasn't an option."

"Too bad! We're fighting each other already. I'm glad that I always prepare for everything."

"So you expected us to fight with each other already since twenty years ago? You're _cruel_, just like Miyoko. You'll do anything to get rid of what's in your way"

"_You're _cruel, siding with Seishirou. I've had enough. Just like what your threatening note said, the cursed should pay."

"So you're willing to die just to mend everything together?"

"No. You're the cursed one. Siding with the underworld will always be a curse that will haunt you for the rest of your life!" Sengaku took out her flute. "I will be our first and final fight that's been a serious one. **Senjutsu, Music, Heart's Melody!"** Sengaku's upgraded attack aimed directly for Chris's heart.

"W-What d-did you d-do to me?" Chris's energy slowly drained away as her heart and head ached. "I can't stand this! It's too painful!"

"I hope you've learned your lesson." Sengaku sighed. "Only a pure mind, heart, and soul will move forward. You're not even one of them."

"Looks like you'll always be the best, Sengaku. So long..." Chris's spirit went back to the sky, and the others finished fighting off the Oni. All of them headed for the very top of the mountain.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"What do you want from Alice anyway?" Shun was getting impatient, and Seishirou continued to absorb Alice's energy. "Give Alice her amulet back!"

"You have no idea of the power hidden in the Yin piece." Seishirou snickered. This time, he swallowed the amulet and suddenly went berserk.

"This is madness. Do you know how dangerous this is?" Shun was about to cut Alice off the chains when a giant hand blocked his path. "What in the world did you do?! You're a mutant!" After swallowing the amulet, Seishirou got taller and bigger and grew horns all over. His teeth grew irregular, and his skin went wrinkly. He didn't look like Seishirou anymore. It was more of an Oni-human hybrid.

"Take this, Shun Kazami!" Even his voice changed into evil laughter that put fear into Shun. "This is the last part of the revival. I'm now officially a Kinoto Oni! No one will stand in my way, not even the highest authority in the heavens."

_Kinoto? That's number one on the classifications list._ Shun thought._ If he can use Alice's amulet to change, then what about mine? _Behind him arrived Sengaku and the others.

"What is that?" Baron asked. Seishirou pounded his hands everywhere, breaking the entire top of the mountain.

"Guys, you distract him. I have to rescue Alice." Shun ordered. While the distractions began, Shun lurked his way through the hand and feet that block him to get Alice. _How am I going to break these chains?_ He took his amulet out and put it in front of one of the hand shackles. A few minutes later, the shackle cracked, and Alice left hand was freed.

"Shun, can you hurry up?" Nene yelled. "We're losing here!"

"Almost finished! Still have three cuffs here!" After the last three cuffs broke off, Alice fell into Shun's arms.

"Alice! Are you okay? Can you hear me?" Shun called. Alice opened her eyes and saw Shun.

"Shun, I knew you'd come to rescue me!" She hugged him immediately. This time, Shun didn't mind her hugging.

"It's okay, Alice. We'll take Seishirou down together."


	13. Price of Revival

Everyone escaped outside back into the bamboo grove. Looking back at the mountain, everything was shaking. The entire Kuroki Mountains range was falling apart, for such a huge Kinoto Oni wouldn't fit in there.

"I wonder if he's going to make it out." Fabia asked. "If he does, then we're in big trouble. If he doesn't, then he might as well kill himself."

"He's not going to get away this easily." Marucho commented. "Look." The Oni was coming out and pounding everything in its path.

"If we're able to kill Chris, then we can kill this Kinoto Oni, too." Sengaku said it loudly, as if she wanted Seishirou to hear it.

"How dare you kill her?" Seishirou was going to punch Sengaku to death, but she created a barrier with her flute. "You'll pay for this!" He kept punching and punching until the barrier couldn't support it anymore.

"Your turn to attack!" Sengaku left to recharge her flute while everyone ran forward.

"Watch this.** Mahou, Fire, Pyro Punch!"** Chan's punch was met with Seishirou's punch, which went into a temporary stalemate until neither side could take it anymore. "Your punch may be strong, but it can't withstand heat."

**"Mahou, Light, Crescent Arrow!"** Fabia shot a lot of arrows at Seishirou's extra arms. Most of them broke off, but they regenerated again after being cut. "Baron, you know what to do!"

"Got it! **Mahou, Light, Starlight Blades!"** This time, Baron had three blades on each hand. By stabbing the opening where the hand was going to regenerate, the new hand couldn't regenerate. "More stabbing, less punching."

"Do you really think that this is going to help?" Seishirou smirked. An aura of negative energy surround him. Soon, there were two Seishirous. "This is what I like about Kinoto Oni. You can multiply as much as you want!" He was going to make another clone of himself when Nene came up.

"No more cloning with me around. **Mahou, Wind, Feather Strangler!" **The original was fully tied with feathers and couldn't move. "If you can't move, then you can't clone yourself."

"How about making him getting stuck in the ground?" Julie asked. **"Mahou, Earth, Quicksand Roamer!"** The ground shook and became quicksand, and luckily, the original and the clone sank in. There was no way of getting out. "Serves then right for the destruction around here."

**"Mahou, Water, Purity Springs!" **Water spewed everywhere, washing through the clone, which was now destroyed, and purifying the original. "I hope that worked."

**"Mahou, Fire, Firework Flash!"**

**"Mahou, Light, Eternal Sunrise!"**

Fireworks flew everywhere as the air around filled with shining sunset colors. "That was a great combination, Runo. Did it work?"

"I hope it did." Runo replied. "If it didn't, then we're in big trouble. Let's hope for the best."

However, Runo was right. Even if all of the attacks were at their strongest, Seishirou would still have the power to attack back, which is exactly what happened. Seishirou punched the ground, releasing him the sand. He punched and attacked everyone, permanently knocking them out. "Ha! A taste of your own medicine."

Shun, who was still taking care of Alice, stood up. "Sengaku, can you take care of Alice for me? I'm going to attack that monster."

"I will. Be careful." Sengaku moved over to where Alice was and checked her pulse. "Alice, I don't think you can hold up any longer. You've lost a lot of blood."

"But I have to." Alice replied. She coughed out more blood. "Shun..."

"You monster! You didn't have to hurt Alice just to get her amulet, which doesn't belong to you." Shun went behind Seishirou. "Mahou, Wind, Soaring Grace!" Shun did the same thing he did to Chris before. Seishirou's back side was unprotected, so he spit out the amulet, just like Chris. Shun caught the amulet and went back to Alice. "Here's your amulet."

"Shun, I have an idea for killing this Kinoto Oni, but it wastes a lot of energy." Sengaku said. "It requires both your and Alice's amulets, but Alice lost a lot of blood." Shun looked away but finally agreed. "As long as this monster dies, I'm willing to do anything. He's tortured Alice enough, and he's going to pay." Sengaku told him and Alice exactly what they had to do.

"Wait for my flute signal. Then you know how to attack." Sengaku played her flute again, but this time, it was for the energy needed to kill the Kinoto Oni. "Now!"

**"Senjutsu, Yin-Yang, Dark Birth!"**

**"Senjutsu, Yin-Yang, Shining Death!"**

Using their amulets, Shun and Alice released their ultimate power against Seishirou. Entangled by light and darkness, Seishirou couldn't retaliate. "I'll get you for this! Just wait!" The attack was over, and all that was left of Seishirou was nothing. However, Alice's body was splattered in blood and unconsciously still.

"Alice! You can't die, not at a crucial time like this!" Shun held Alice really tight in his arms. "Alice!"

"There's a price to pay for everything." Sengaku said. "And it doesn't end here."

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

After hearing the news, the king immediately ordered every single citizen to have a day off and celebrate. A royal feast was held in the palace, but the palace guards also sent delicacies for the citizens to dine and wine in. Everyone was in joy, except for Shun, who said he was in mourning.

"Come on, Shun. Cheer up. It's a great celebration today." Chan said. "There's a lot of great food to eat, you know."

"Maybe later." Shun held Alice's amulet is hand and squeezed it. _I'm sorry, Alice._ Seeing that it didn't work, Chan just left the room to help Dan with the fireworks. Runo and Fabia were busy working with the chefs in the kitchen. Miyoko and Nene played beautiful koto music, loud enough for everyone in the palace and markets to hear and enjoy. Marucho, Baron, and Julie greeted everyone in the palace grounds.

Shun just sighed as he watched the fun out from the window of his room. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Come in."

"May I have my half of the amulet back?" Shun was surprised that somebody was claiming Alice's amulet back. Shun stood up and went to the door.

"Who are-" Shun was shocked to see Alice at the door. "Alice, how did you-"

"Care to go have a walk with me in the palace?" She asked. Shun agreed, took her hand, and went to the palace hallways.

"Alice, how did you come back?" Shun hugged her for the first time. "I really missed you. Not even this palace celebration could cheer me up."

"Did you notice that Sengaku wasn't here at all?" Alice asked.

Shun looked around to see that she wasn't here. "You're right. Where is she?" He thought for a moment.

"Shortly after I came back, Sengaku's voice told me that she decided to return to the upper world. She was given a reward, anything she wanted, of her choice for this victory over defeating the Oni. Can you guess what reward she wanted?"

"Bring you back to life?"

"Exactly."

"Sengaku...we owe her a big favor. Not only because of killing Seishirou, but for reviving you, too."

"Everything has a price to pay. She just happened to prove that point."

"Now it's time to celebrate. Come on." Shun took Alice down the halls and suddenly heard flute sounds. "Did you hear that?"

"Sengaku...may her flute sounds be with us forever."

"May she protect and bless the two of us forever."


End file.
